Hunting
by Light1
Summary: Kain educates his brood on hunting. His methods are ... questionable.
1. Chapter 1

**Hunting**

Disclaimer: Legacy of Kain belongs to Edios and Crystal Dynamics not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic, it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Although I would like to own Vorador . . . then he'd be mine.

Rating: PG-13

Part: one of four

* \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ *

The first few months of Raziel's unlife he and his brothers had been fed by their father. That is to say that Kain did the hunting and they fought each other for the lions share of whatever, or whoever he brought back. It was a brutal start to life and it didn't take long before Raziel started to question the merits of beating back his breatherin every mealtime.

It felt odd that Kain stressed cooperation amongst them at all times, and discouraged, sometimes forcefully, egotistical habits. Yet when it came to food it was a free for all. It was brutal and messy, with a great deal of the blood ending up on the floor while they squabbled and snarled over what they could.

They were always in a perpetual state of hunger that drove them to distraction at times, leading to pointless quarrels and minor feuds whenever Kain's back was turned. Fortunately, Raziel had began to suspect that their father was growing bored with doing all the work feeding them and even more bored watching the tear at each other every time he came through the door with dinner. His suspicions were confirmed when Kain announced one evening that they would be accompanying him on a hunt and that they could damn well feed themselves from now on so they'd better learn how fast.

He lead them out of the squalid little hovel they'd been calling home for the past two months and out into the outskirts of the city of Meridian. Raziel, expecting to turn deeper into the city was surprised when Kain turned North and lead them out and away from the city and into the surrounding scrub land and canyons.

"I have decided against hunting the streets of Meridian tonight," Kain said noting Raziel's expression.

"But I thought you liked the city?" Raziel frowned.

"I do," Kain nodded, "and once I can trust that you won't get yourselves killed every time a rouge hunter or thug wanders by we will start hunting there."

"I'd have thought it would be easier to run food down in the open," Dumah said. "I can't wait." He clenched and unclenched his hands in anticipation. Kain snorted at his eagerness.

"It depends on your preferred style of hunting, Meridian makes for easy pickings thanks to the rooftops." Again, he noted the confused expression from several of his brood this time and continued. "You can simply fall onto your prey, hunting in Meridian is easy if you are swift and silent, I doubt any of you are capable of such now."

"There's nothing out here," Rahab said softly. "It's a wasteland." Kain said nothing and Rahab fell quiet, none felt comfortable questioning their sire but all were concerned. The land they walked through was frigid and barren. The canyon sides reaching high around them, funnelling the air through twisting paths. The wind was sharp and smelt only of canon dust. There was nothing here.

They followed their sire in silence for most of the night, none brave enough to question. Eventually they reached a work yard, it seemed long abandoned, silent and empty. Kain stopped them at the gate, it had collapsed, torn asunder when the crane fell. Raziel found himself wondering what kind of accident must have happened here to cause such damage.

"This is where you will have you first lesson," Kain grinned at his children. "Beyond this place lies a bolt hole for the smugglers that haunt these roads."

"Smugglers," Zephon frowned.

"They are well tested and armed," Kain said. "As you are now it is unlikely you would be successful on a hunt."

"So why bring us here?" Turel said.

"Practice, with the promise of reward." Kain's grin took on a malevolent quirk.

"I do not like the sound of this," Raziel heard Melchiah mutter, he glanced back at his youngest sibling and frowned, encouraging him to hold his tongue.

"You will divide into two groups, one will be hunter the other prey," Kain said. "You have the work yard as your territory, you cannot leave it. Once you can successfully demonstrate the ability to evade and capture then we will eat and not before."

They were silent. Kain raised his eyebrows at them.

"Come on, get on with it."

 **End Chapter**

Authoress Note: Thank you for reading, please comment/review, I'd love to hear what you think.

For information on published works and upcoming projects, release dates, as well as weekly blogs, check out www . katiemariewriter . co . uk


	2. Chapter 2

**Hunting**

Disclaimer: Legacy of Kain belongs to Edios and Crystal Dynamics, not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic, it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Although I would like to own Vorador . . . then he'd be mine.

Rating: PG-13

Part: Two of four

* \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ *

 **Chapter Two**

"I hate you," Raziel muttered at Dumah as they headed back into the building they'd claimed as a home for the time they were staying in the canyons.

"Don't be a wimp," Dumah smirked, looking far too pleased with himself.

"It was a lucky hit," Raziel grumbled rotating his aching shoulder, it wouldn't surprise him if there was a fracture, the strength of Dumah's blows was easily enough to break bones.

"Your footing was off," Rahab said from behind the two. "You were to busy watching Dumah that you weren't watching where you were putting your feet. Hence you lost your footing for a moment and he was able to land a blow."

"A bloody good one," Dumah crowed.

"You realise the point of the exercise is not to try and pummel each other but to capture," Turel said. "We're supposed to be learning to hunt, not to fight."

"I was disabling my prey," Dumah said.

"No, you were shattering them," Turel said. "Humans are fragile, that blow would have burst a human and then where would you be."

"Licking your dinner up from the ground," Melchiah snorted.

"Can you please stop talking about me in comparison to food," Raziel grumbled.

"You're the one who got caught," Rahab said patting his elder brother on the shoulder.

"Another comment like that and I'll make you be their team," Raziel said sitting down and wincing as the ache in his shoulder refused to go away. He was healing slower, they'd been at the abandoned work yard for three days now. Kain had still not deemed them apt enough to hunt with him and so they'd spent three long, hungry days training amongst the empty buildings and broken machinery.

"I think we're getting better," Turel said. "Raziel's mishap aside."

"How was that a mishap," Dumah snapped. "That was evidence of my ability, not his lack of ability."

"Nonsense," Kain growled coming in behind them and slamming the door. "It was a foolish mistake." He glared at his eldest and Raziel bit his tongue, half wanting to make excuses for his own failing, his lack of food making him slow and clumsy. But he kept his thoughts to himself, Zephon was already running circuits around the work yard because he'd complained that the conditions were to tough for him to properly train.

"I think we should try again," Melchiah said quietly. "I almost had Zephon last time, I think with a bit more practice …"

"Rest first," Dumah said from his position on the floor.

"We can rest when we've eaten," Turel said. "come on, I'd rather eat sooner as opposed to later. Raziel your team hunts this time." Kain watched his children as they headed back outside to try another mock hunt, but put his hand on Raziel's non-injured shoulder as his eldest walked passed.

"Hold," he said quietly and waited for the rest to leave. "Rahab take over for Raziel."

"Sire?" Raziel said looking up.

"That was a foolish mistake just now," Kain said when the others had headed out. "it cost you."

"I …" Raziel wasn't sure what to say. "I'm getting slower." He eventually admitted, "weaker."

"True," Kain said softly, closing his hand over Raziel's injured shoulder and gripping firmly. "But we live in a cruel land, there will be times when you will have to function on an empty stomach." His grip changed slightly as he moved his hand over his eldest shoulder. "Nothing too bad, you managed to avoid the worst of it."

"Didn't feel like it," Raziel muttered.

"I doubt it did," Kain said. "Your brother has strength, but physical strength is only as good as the mind that wields it."

"Sire?"

"You're not a fool child," Kain sighed. "Figure it out. Now go, join your brothers." Raziel nodded and headed out to the work yard. He spotted Rahab who nodded at him and clambered up to the rooftop to join him.

"Melchiah is running the boundary," Rahab said. "They don't have Zephon who's still running circuits, so it's just Dumah and Turel we need to locate."

"Dumah won't bother to hide," Raziel said.

"He never does," Rahab agreed. "Turel will go somewhere high though."

"Northside, over by the fallen crane," Melchiah said coming up behind them. "he didn't see me, nor I him but I could smell him."

"Any sign of Dumah?" Raziel asked, Melchiah nodded and pointed to the station where the powered carts would dock for loading and unloading.

"Stomping around," Melchiah said. "Not bothering to hide, I swear if we starve to death it'll be because Dumah refuses to learn."

"Then we teach him," Raziel said. "Father told me Dumah has physical strength but that it is useless if the mind cannot wield it. I'm not sure what he's getting at but he seemed to think I was been stupid by not knowing this." He looked to Rahab, "any ideas?"

"Well, maybe," Rahab said. "Humans have domesticated creatures many times stronger than themselves and it's all because their smarter. I think we just need to outsmart Dumah."

"Easier said than done," Melchiah muttered. "He's not foolish, overconfident maybe but not foolish. Neither is Turel."

"Overconfident," Raziel said. "Surely we must be able to use that."

"Dumah's confident because he's always bested anyone who goes against him," Rahab said slowly. "The only place he struggles in is when he's the aggressor, he just charges in. You've stayed ahead of him for the most part because your faster."

"So, we need to be faster," Raziel said.

"Maybe," Rahab nodded. "But I'm thinking Dumah's always won because we've been stupid, we've been dividing our resources, going one on one. If we go as a team, well he can't fight all of us."

"We need to change our tactics," Raziel nodded.

"Hit them one at a time as a group," Melchiah nodded. "Makes sense, until we apply this to hunting, then there's just one human and three of us. I'd rather not go back to having to fight you lot for my dinner."

"Working together we could tackle groups of humans?" Raziel said.

"Maybe just focus on Dumah and Turel for now," Rahab said.

"Alright," Melchiah nodded, "which first?"

"Turel," Raziel said. "If he sees us go for Dumah as a group, he'll adjust his own tactics accordingly, Dumah won't."

"Overconfident bastard," Melchiah snorted.

They found Turel on the rooftop of a lower building near the fallen crane, right where Melchiah had said he would be. Melchiah went in head-on, distracting his older brother from his teammates coming in from the side. Before Turel could land a defensive blow on his youngest sibling or flee the area he found Rahab on one arm and Raziel on the other.

"Gotcha," Rahab smiled. Turel frowned for a moment before smirking.

"Sneaky bastards." He conceded his defeat.

They went after Dumah next, he hadn't moved away from the station, still walking in plain sight, his impatience starting to show. Once again Melchiah, who was considerably faster than any of his siblings, bar Zephon, went in first, capturing Dumah's focus. Once Dumah charged, not being one for fleeing, Rahab and Raziel moved in from behind. Rahab tripped his older sibling, while Raziel grabbed his wrists, encountering little resistance from the shocked Dumah, and bound them at his back.

"I thought we were supposed to be learning how to hunt ourselves," Dumah groused when he was released. "you only managed to get me to go down because you blindside me and cheated."

"We didn't cheat," Rahab said firmly. "We adapted to our circumstances."

"And how long it took you to do it," Kain said. "I was beginning to doubt your ability to reason altogether."

"Father," Melchiah smiled.

"I wouldn't look quite so pleased," Kain said. "You've been working together now since your birth, yet the moment my instruction is removed you fell apart."

"But we've always fed alone," Turel said. Kain raised an eyebrow. "I'm proficient in fighting my siblings now because of it."

"True," Kain said. "I've ignored your squabbles for food. It is important that you know life isn't easy. But still, I am disappointed that it has taken you quiet this long to realise you are stronger as a unit."

"But father," Turel spoke up but fell silent at the firm look he received.

"There is still time before dawn, do it again and maybe if you can manage it, I will consider taking you out of here tomorrow."

 **End Chapter**

Authoress Note: Thank you for reading, please comment/review, I'd love to hear what you think.

For information on published works and upcoming projects, release dates, as well as weekly blogs, check out www . katiemariewriter . co . uk


	3. Chapter 3

**Hunting**

Disclaimer: Legacy of Kain belongs to Edios and Crystal Dynamics, not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic, it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Although I would like to own Vorador . . . then he'd be mine.

Rating: PG-13

Part: Three of four

* \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ *

 **Chapter Three**

Kain quickly decided that taking his gaggle of fledgelings hunting with him was not a great plan.

While they had improved in their short stay at the abandoned work yard the improvement that had seemed so promising there was not quite so promising when outside of the yard.

He had chosen a group of smugglers; the encampment was relatively small compared to some of the others closer to the city. It was here to pick off any that made it past the larger groups, it should have been an easy target by all accounts. However, the smugglers had been fighting demons for years by this point and a few fledgeling vampires were not a threat by comparison.

Kain frowned watching his broad from a distance as they tried to puzzle a way through the smugglers barricade. He had hoped for better that was true, demons were physically stronger than his children. Hence why he'd spent a few nights clearing the bastards out of the work yard before setting it up as their temporary home. But demons were not organised, they attacked mindlessly, defences that stopped demons should not be stopping his children.

But they were.

He winced as Zephon narrowly avoided a well-aimed projectile. The child's overconfidence was going to get him killed. Kain scoffed, he hadn't thought that he would seriously be risking their lives in this endeavour.

"Go," he hissed under his breath when Turel hesitated and missed a perfectly good opportunity to charge the barricade while the human's eyes were on his far quicker brother. The opportunity passed and eyes were on all his children once again.

Kain continued to watch as Melchiah practically huddled behind his older brothers, occasionally pointing to an obvious weak spot. Unfortunately, his gesture was in plain sight and the smugglers quickly moved to cover the weak area before any could exploit it. Kain put his head in his hands and missed the attack that caused Dumah to fall. He heard the panicked yelled of his children and the victorious cries of the smugglers. Looking up he saw Raziel and Turel dragging Dumah out of range, back towards him. He stood and gestured for them to return.

"That was pathetic," he said when they were all present and accounted for, Dumah nursing a head wound. Kain took several deep breaths, making a concentrated effort not to yell, it would only alert the smugglers to their current location and possibly any demons that ventured back into the area.

"We tried to…" Turel started but Kain held up a hand silencing him.

"When I first woke, I left my tomb alone," Kain said with slow, measured calm. "I walked Nosgoth alone and I survived alone. I claimed my first victim before I stepped foot out of my tomb. Upon leaving my tomb I was set upon by bandits and ended all of them within moments."

"Father," Rahab spoke up. Kain ignored him.

"I have made allowances for the fact that my return to life was significantly faster than yours, I didn't suffer any physical decomposition, whereas you all had to come back from a far longer dead, you had much more 'healing' to do than I did."

"Sire," Rahab tried again.

"But I am done making excuses for you," Kain said finally looking at his third eldest. "This world is hard, and I need you to be hard. You have a task and if you cannot even feed yourselves …" he trailed off feeling his anger rising. "It will do you no good to have me coddle you."

"We do not need coddling," Raziel said louder than his brother, Kain raised an eyebrow but Raziel did not falter under his stare. "We need instruction, Sire."

"I have found you prey, easy prey I might add, and you cannot overcome a simple barricade." Kain snapped.

"You haven't shown us anything," Raziel said, his voice shaking a little as he spoke, but he did not stop. "You've pointed us at a target and said go, that is all. Teach us if you wish us to learn."

"You need me to dress you as well?" Kain snarled. None of his children spoke, none disagreed with what Raziel had said.

"As you said," Rahab spoke up now. "Our return to life was different o yours, you have often said you recalled much if not all of your mortal life. I cannot remember who or what I was before I was here. All that I learned as a mortal man I have now forgotten."

"I did not expect this," Kain muttered under his breath.

"We do not need you to coddle," Raziel said, his voice firmer now. "But instinct alone is not working, we need to be taught."

"You need me to show you," Kain sighed. Rahab had spoken truly, they did not recall their lives before he had raised them, they had had to learn to speak, wash and walk all over again. He had not expected infants but that was what he had got. Kain looked at his broad, measuring them. They had come far, not so long ago they hadn't been able to speak, let alone problem solve.

"We need your patience," Rahab said. "Father."

"I am not known for my patience," Kain couldn't help the smirk that grew at the words. "But I have put a lot into you already, perhaps a little more effort won't hurt." And with that, he stood and turned to face the barricade. "Come then, let us try again."

 **End Chapter**

Authoress Note: Thank you for reading, please comment/review, I'd love to hear what you think.

For information on published works and upcoming projects, release dates, as well as weekly blogs, check out www . katiemariewriter . co . uk


	4. Chapter 4

**Hunting**

Disclaimer: Legacy of Kain belongs to Edios and Crystal Dynamics, not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic, it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Although I would like to own Vorador . . . then he'd be mine.

Rating: PG-13

Part: Three of four

* \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ *

 **Chapter Four**

Kain approached the smuggler's encampment with confidence.

It wasn't until he was almost in sight of the barricade that he paused, this was not supposed to be a simple charge in, kill everyone and eat them raid. He was supposed to be teaching. He glanced back at his young charges who were following him towards the encampment, they were his children, they were not him. Kain had come to terms with the fact that he was odd, even among vampires. He had survived on his own as a mere fledgeling, something Vorador assured him was quite strange and seeing his own children Kain could believe it. But he had done more than survive he'd taken down the bulk of the circle of Nine when he had been only weeks dead.

Kain knew he was strange, although he preferred the term gifted.

"Father?" Raziel approached him, frowning in confusion at Kain's stand still.

"I will have to modify my tactics," Kain muttered turning and walking back to his brood a few paces away. "Turel," Kain said firmly, Turel looked at him, standing a little straighter. "Take Rahab and head to that outcropping," Kain gestured to what he assumed was the result of a previous landslide, a cluster of boulders clumped to the left of the barricade. "Do not be seen."

"Father?" Dumah asked when Kain turned to face him.

"Take Melchiah with you and position yourself along the canyon wall, do not be seen and do not advance closer to the barricade until you are certain that you won't take fire." Dumah looked for a moment like he might argue but nodded and grabbed his young brother by the scruff of his neck dragged him to where he had been instructed to go.

"Zephon," Kain smirked. "you have a knack for subterfuge."

"I do?" Zephon couldn't hide the smug look even though he questioned.

"Yes," Kain nodded. "You see the overhang?" Kain gestured to a small natural shelf in the canyon wall above where the smugglers had constructed a bottleneck around the entrance of the camp.

"I see it," Zephon nodded.

"Get up there without being seen, when the smugglers are adequately distracted, collapse the shelf."

"Collapse the shelf?" Zephon said.

"It's hardly strong," Kain snorted.

"But I'll be standing on it!" Zephon said.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." Kain gave Zephon a shove and watched in silence as he headed off. When he started climbing and Kain was sure he would not be spotted by the smugglers he turned to Raziel.

"You can guess your role?" he said unable to prevent a smirk.

"I can hazard a guess if you wish it," Raziel did not look enthusiastic. "I am to be a distraction? I am to draw the human's attention and fire?"

"You are partly correct," Kain said. "We are to be a distraction."

"I can hazard a thought as to how we can do so, but I cannot see how I, I mean, we can do so without causing ourselves injury."

"That is why I am here," Kain's smirk spread to a grin. "Now come on, your brother's patience is thin, and I don't want to test their ability to remain unseen for long."

With a shove hard enough to knock the fledgeling to the ground Kain propelled his eldest into view. Raziel stumbled and skidded on his knees, coming to a halt in front of the mortal barricade. Kain laughed aloud as his eldest yelped a curse and scrambled to his feet in time to avoid a bolt. The crossbows the mortals carried were reasonably short range but easily harmful enough to cause injury.

"Not enough," he called as Raziel tried to put distance between himself and the crossbows. "Get back in." this time however Kain advanced, keeping one eye on his eldest and the other on the firing mortals. He pushed forwards, he had to cause them to think they were truly under an assault. The humans had gotten wise to his broad after being the focus of their attack for most of the night. They had eyes running down the centre where he and Raziel avoided bolts, but they had eyes on their flanks also.

"They suspect trickery," Raziel gasped getting close enough to his father to effectively hide behind him for a moment.

"Then we must convince them otherwise," Kain laughed.

"You look like your enjoying this!" Raziel yelped at Kain's amusement, narrowly avoiding yet another bolt. This one close enough to graze his right leg, he hissed at the minor injury.

"It is fun," Kain admitted. Raziel snorted and glanced at Turel who was watching the humans, waiting for the moment all their focus was on the two advancing vampires.

"We'll be on them before they take eyes off the sides," Raziel said.

"No," Kain shook his head, he flinched as a bolt hit home in Raziel's leg, to his credit his eldest didn't fall. But he did shout, and his shout was enough to distract Kain so that a bolt found his shoulder.

"This is insane," Raziel said. Kain snarled at the barricade and pulling his eldest closer to him erected his shield. Raziel smirked at him.

"You couldn't have done that before?" he said, wincing as his father took ahold of the bolt in his leg and yanking it free.

"I could have done a lot before," Kain frowned and took ahold of the bolt still in his own shoulder. "That was not the point." He pulled hard and fast, the bolt came free. Turning his focus to the barricade once again he noticed that the right flank was unguarded, nearly all eyes were on them. Deciding this was rapidly becoming less fun, Kain lifted his hand and sent out a bullet of kinetic energy at the archer watching the left flank. Raziel laughed as the archer crumpled under the invisible blow.

"All eyes on us," Raziel breathed. "About time," Kain smirked as Zephon completed his task, landing a firm blow to the shelf he was perched on the fragile rock crumbled sending a shower of rock and stone onto the barricaded humans. Dumah and Turel advanced and suddenly the humans were under attack from all directions.

With the human's shocked and frightened it didn't take long to disable the barricade. Kain watched with both pride and mild disgust as his fledgelings finally fed after days of starvation.

He could almost pity the mortals.

Almost.

 **End Fic**

Authoress Note: Thank you for reading, please comment/review, I'd love to hear what you think.

For information on published works and upcoming projects, release dates, as well as weekly blogs, check out www . katiemariewriter . co . uk


End file.
